Life Anew
by K. R. Walker
Summary: "Axel Ryuichi... we have come to a decision. On behalf of the Planet Kaishi, we are allowing you to stay. However, there is one condition. To offer you a fresh start from your troubled past of drug abuse and prison, you will be aged back to 17 years and attend high school." Rated M for Language, Drugs, and Sexual Content. I do not own the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
1. Prologue: As Fate Has It

**Life Anew**

_Prologue: As Fate Has It_

"Don't be nervous… the council is just a bunch of stuck up old people... they're harmless."

Axel looked over at his new friend, frowning, "Demyx, they decide my entire fate on this planet… what if they don't let me stay? What if they send me back to Earth to rot in jail? What if they don't—"

"They will," the blond man tried to comfort him, patting his back. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't think they would let you stay."

"You brought me because I saved you…"

He huffed, "I brought you because you deserve another chance, and I know that you can have one here."

"It's time," a guard stepped in front of them, gesturing for Axel to get up.

Demyx stood and grabbed the redhead by the arm, pulling him to his feet. "I have to go with him, Luxord… he needs me."

"You know that outsiders may not witness the meeting," the guard warned him, "You must wait here."

"Then… let him grab onto your arm, and try not to walk him into any walls," Demyx growled, placing Axel's hand on the large man's bulky muscles.

Luxord looked him over, raising an eyebrow. "He…"

"I'm blind," Axel said, gritting his teeth. "Can we get this over with?"

"Very well… watch your step," he said, leading him into the room where the high council sat.

There was a biting silence before someone finally spoke. "Axel Ryuichi."

"Yes," he affirmed, facing the direction of the voice.

"You come here from Earth?"

"Yes… Demyx Mizu brought me here."

Another long pause sounded before the head of the council spoke again. "Our records state that his vessel crash landed in the prison you resided in, that you helped him escape?"

Axel nodded, "Yes… in exchange for my saving his life, he agreed to bring me to your planet."

"Very well… as law states, you must be evaluated to be sure you aren't a threat to our people. Luxord, take him so that we may review his memories."

He felt himself being tugged into another room, and wires were placed at his temples. "You aren't going to like what you see…" he warned, sighing as he laid down and fell into a deep, coma-like sleep. Before he knew what was happening, he was awake again and being pulled up to his feet.

"In order for them to make their decision, they have to ask you some questions regarding what they just saw…" Luxord told him, suddenly sounding uneasy.

"You… you saw it too, didn't you?"

He tightened his grip on Axel's arm. "Bits and pieces…"

"They're going to exile me… aren't they?" he asked the guard, sighing.

"Now, Mr. Ryuichi… you mustn't judge us so harshly. We still have some questions to ask you," the head member of the council spoke. He hadn't realized they were back in the main room again.

He bowed his head slightly, "My apologies…"

"From our general understanding, you've had quite a rough life on Earth… From your teenage years, correct?"

"I… I did drop out of school early on…" he admitted, hanging his head.

The councilwoman cleared her throat, "This was due to… the use of your Earth drugs?"

"Yes… but I haven't used them in years," he mentioned, hoping that they at least knew that.

"Right… and you've spent the past two years in jail?"

He swallowed heavily, "Y…yes…"

"And that's where you were blinded?"

"Look, if you saw all my memories, then why are you just asking me to reaffirm them? Everything you saw is correct!" he shouted, losing his temper. He hated talking about his accident, and he didn't want to sit here and explain to them what they already knew.

There was a long silence that made him entirely too uncomfortable. He was done for, and he knew it… "Mr. Ryuichi… we understand that this must be hard for you to discuss, and we extend you our apologies, and we have come to a decision. On the behalf of the Planet Kaishi, we are allowing you to stay."

Axel nearly fell to his knees before them, "Thank you… I've changed, I promise you…"

"There is one condition. To offer you a fresh start, and keep you under the watchful eye of Mr. Mizu… you will be aged back to seventeen years, and attend school with him."

He furrowed his brow, a bit confused. "Demyx… is in high school?"


	2. Chapter One: Loss, Vindictive

**Life Anew**

_Chapter One: Loss, Vindictive_

Leaving the alley behind, Axel Ryuichi pulled the hood of his dirty black sweatshirt up, blocking his flame red hair from the pulsing rain. _Another stormy night alone, _he thought solemnly, staring down at the bland grey sidewalk. Around him people ran for cover, ducking under doorways and putting up umbrellas. _Pussies… to them it's only water, and still they run and hide like it could kill them. They have no idea how it feels to have acid beating into their skin… _Since he was a baby, Axel had always been intolerant of water, especially cold water… it was like a poison to him, burning his flesh, searing his skin like fire.

"Watch it, bastard!" a man in a business suit barked, ramming into Axel's shoulder purposely.

_Asshole…_ Axel kept his thoughts to himself. He didn't need the police called on him again. He was used to being treated like a disease… hell, he looked like one—even he knew that. Living on the streets will do that to someone.

"…Kairi?"

The pink haired woman was indeed standing before him, huddled under an umbrella with a group of her friends. She looked up at the mention of her name, gasping when she saw him staring at her. "…Axel," she said shortly, sneering at him. "What do you want? You look like a damn hobo."

_Of course she still hates me… _"I just… wanted to say hi… I guess… and that I'm sorry."

"For kidnapping me and trying to whore me out for drugs? Thanks for apologizing, but I don't think I can forgive you for that. Now if you'll excuse me, my husband is waiting for me inside," she said sarcastically, motioning for her friends to meet her in the movie theater.

"Husband…?"

She rolled her eyes, "We got married last year. I'm guessing you were probably high in an alley somewhere? Or maybe you were lighting someone on _fire_?"

Axel cringed at the reference to his past. "That was an accident, Kairi… I've let that go. You should too."

"Sora is never going to walk the same way again!" she exclaimed, suddenly upset. "He's always in pain, and it's because of you! We'll be lucky if we're able to start a family!"

He didn't know how to answer her, so he pushed past her and continued down the street, stopping at the park and sitting down on a swing. _What the hell am I doing trying to talk to Kairi? I burned that bridge a long time ago... I've burned all my bridges… _

The twenty-three year old sighed heavily, heaving himself off the creaky swing. He crunched his way through the gravel until he found an empty park bench. Distorting his spine to fit on the length of the seat, he put his head in his arms and tried to fall asleep, the searing rain making his skin give off a light, smoky fog.

* * *

"Mister? Mister…? Hey, Mister?" he awoke the next morning to a light poking at his face.

"The name's Axel," he growled at the child poking him, squinting up at the sun as he turned away from the brat.

But the child didn't want to leave him alone. "Mister, why're you sleeping in the park?"

"Because it's comfortable," he replied sarcastically, his voice muffled in his sleeve.

"Benjamin! Get away from that man! How disgusting!" a woman's shrill voice shrieked through Axel's foggy mind.

The biting of rocks indicated the childs leaving, and Axel just rolled his eyes as he heard the boy's mother scolding him. _God, I hate children… so innocent, so …stupid._

After another hour of sleep, Axel wrung out his wet hoodie and shirt, then went to the market to press for work.

"Oh, Axel, you're back! I thought I might never see my favorite helper again!" the elderly woman who ran the grocery store exclaimed cheerily, treating him like a three year old who wanted a cookie.

"How could I stay away, Ms. Makoto?" he asked, putting on his best smile. "I was actually wondering if you had any work that needed done?"

She ushered him into the store, "I always have work to be done! I have some boxes that need stacked up in the back and then some shelving that needs done. There's a breakfast and a packed lunch in it for you! Ooh, and before I have you working around here, you're going to need to shower and wash those clothes."

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, grateful for the work. She never gave him money, most likely out of fear that he'd spend it on drugs. But she always kept him fed and showered. She treated him like the family she never had, and he didn't mind one bit. "Thank you so much, Ms. Makoto… I'll go shower and then get to work."

Axel hated showers… but it was a necessary evil. Once he was upstairs in her apartment, he slid off his clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist so that he could take his clothes down the hall to the laundry room and start a wash cycle while he showered. He made his way back to the bathroom and turned the water on as hot as it would go, the only way it was even halfway bearable for him. The moment he stepped in, the room was filled with so much steam he could barely see, most of it coming off his skin.

He could see the layers of dirt and grime falling down the drain, and the sight of it all made him a little sick. He reached over for her soap, having to laugh a little at the flowery, girly scent. Every time he left Ms. Makoto's house he smelled like a chick.

After his toxic shower, Axel dried off and went down the hall to put his clothes in the drier. Wrapped up in a big fluffy towel, he waited patiently in the laundry room, watching people walk by on the street below.

_There's Kairi again… _he thought as he spotted the familiar pink hair. Limping next to her was Sora, and the sight made Axel choke up a bit. He hadn't meant to burn him so badly… he just wanted to scare him a little… But he couldn't keep living in the past. He just… he had to let things go.

When the drier buzzed, he grabbed his clothes and got dressed, heading back down to the grocery to do his work for the day. It only took him a couple hours, and when he was done Ms. Makoto had a nice breakfast made for him. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns… the food had him salivating on the spot.

"Well go ahead and eat! You're too skinny!" she teased, smiling at him.

"Th… thank you, Ms. Makoto… I really appreciate it," he told her, tearing into his first hot meal this week.

Before he left her apartment, she pressed a bulging grocery bag into his hands. "There should be enough there for lunch and dinner today… and don't ever be afraid to come back here for food. I'll always have work for you to do."

"You have no idea how grateful I am… I might be back tomorrow."

Heading back to the park, he found a decent spot under a tree and opened the bag she'd given him. _Hm… a couple sandwiches, some apples and bananas, two bottles of water, chips, Fritos… Ooh, a packet of gummies. She's getting more creative. And… as per usual, the number for a self help clinic. _She gave him a new one every week… he even tried to go to a few of them, but… he just couldn't handle all the questions.

Later that evening, Axel finished the last of his food and took his usual place on a park bench. He tried to use a different one each day so the police are less likely to yell at him, and the one that night was closer to the woods. He wished so much that he could turn his life around… that he could find a decent job and get an apartment somewhere. Even that he could just buy a bus ticket and get out of Destiny Islands. He was sick of this city and everyone who lived in it. But with his reputation of arsonry and drug use… he couldn't find a way out.

Several times he'd considered ending it all, just killing himself… he'd even considered turning himself over to the police, admitting that he was a drug addict and that it was him who'd hurt Sora. He actually had no idea how he got off scot free on that one, he only assumed that Riku had been looking out for him. _Riku… I miss him so much… _Axel sighed heavily at the memory of his ex-lover. Being Sora's best friend, he had somehow convinced Kairi not to turn Axel over to the police after kidnapping her and attempting to sell her body for drugs. He must've talked Sora out of going to the police as well… even if he would never speak to Axel again.

But something kept Axel going… it kept him out on the streets, trying to find a life for himself again. He had even quit drugs almost a year before, mostly from lack of money to buy any. He still owed money to his suppliers, but they were being investigated by the police at the time and fled to Twilight Town to avoid charges.

* * *

"Axel Ryuichi…" a sudden voice jerked him out of his memories. He looked up to see none other than his supplier Seifer and his gang standing above him. _Speak of the Devil…_ "I thought we might find you here. Same old, same old…"

"Seifer… How… how have you been, man? Finally dropped off the police radar?" Axel tried to play it cool, but he knew what was about to happen.

"Yeah, we got word from one of our boys that they called off the hunt from lack of evidence. Which got me thinkin', ya know? I remembered that someone here owed me about three grand, and I figured… why not come get it?"

Axel swallowed hard, sinking down into the bench further. "Yeah… I, uhm… I'm totally broke, man. Sorry…"

"Why does that not surprise me? You useless piece of shit… We were good on our end of the deal!"

"I know, Seifer, I know… look, I'll try to get it together… but I just… I don't think I can get it anytime soon."

Seifer sneered at him and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "You have three days, you little fuck. We're moving on to another town. Meet us here at midnight on Friday with the money, or we'll hunt you down and make you regret you first breath."

He shoved Axel back down into the bench and walked away, his crew of thugs following him closely. _What the hell am I going to do? There's no way I'll get three grand by Friday… They're going to kill me… _his thoughts ran rampant as he laid back down on the bench, curling up into a ball.

* * *

"How can I help you, Sir?" the receptionist at the police station asked Axel, eyeing him carefully.

Axel took a deep breath, knowing that this was his only option if he wanted to live. "I… A year ago I bought drugs from this guy, and he came back into town last night and threatened my life if I didn't get him the money I owe him. I know… I know this will put me in prison as well, but I want these people off the streets."

"Let me get an officer for you to talk to, Mr…?"

"Ryuichi. Axel Ryuichi."

She nodded and motioned for him to sit down in the lobby. When an officer came up to get him, he followed the large man back into the precinct. "All right, Mr. Ryuichi… tell me exactly what's going on."

"I want to come clean about a lot of things…" he started, the officer scribbling down his words. "Well, I got into drugs when I was younger, about a freshman in high school. I ended up dropping out because of it, and when I turned eighteen, my parents kicked me out of their house. I've been living off and on the streets since then… About four years ago, I started buying crystal from this guy named Seifer Almasy. I was a heavy user… I'd almost overdosed more times than I think I should've survived. But I quickly ran out of all the money I saved up… Almost three years ago, I kidnapped Kairi Rei, I guess she's now Kairi Mitsu… She was my boyfriend at the time's friend. I don't… I don't know why I did it… I tried to use her as currency, sell her to them for drugs… God, I was so strung out… But I couldn't go through with it and I let her go."

"And your… boyfriend? What was his name?" the officer asked, looking incredibly concerned.

Axel sighed heavily, "His name was Riku Kane. We haven't spoken since then… I don't even know if he's still in town."

"Riku Kane… tall, white hair?"

He nodded, furrowing his brow. "Yeah… why?"

"He's my partner," the officer told him, "I thought Kairi's name sounded familiar… He's mentioned her before."

"Oh…" Axel said, looking at the ground.

The officer suddenly let out a loud laugh. "No, no! He's my partner on the police force! It's his day off, that's why I'm on office duty today."

"Wow… so he actually became a policeman… I know he always wanted to, but I didn't think he went through with it…" he mused, smiling a little.

"Just joined the force last year. One of the best rookies we've got," he said, then realized that they were in the middle of an important confession. "Please continue with your story, sir…"

"All right… well, a few months later I was in deep again… I knew that another one of Riku's friends had a lot of money from his parents, and… well, I tried to rob him. I was going through his dresser to see if he had any extra cash or a checkbook hidden when he walked in on me… I panicked and lunged at him. We struggled for awhile and… something happened. I grabbed him by the leg and suddenly he started screaming in pain… smoke filled the room, and his pants went up in flames. I helped smother the flames and ran off before he could do anything, but… neither of them ever turned me in."

The officer stared at him for a long moment. "Those are some very serious charges you're admitting to, Mr. Ryuichi. And you're telling the truth?"

"Every word, sir… but sadly, I'm not done. After those failed attempts at getting money, I gave up and started sleeping around for quick cash. This kept me going for awhile… but I got in too deep with Seifer and his gang last year and ended up owing them a big debt. I was lucky at the time because they fled town due to your police investigation, and since they left I've been totally off drugs. But last night in the park, Seifer and them found me and threatened my life if I don't pay them by Friday. They plan on leaving town Friday night, and I… I'm just scared…"

He finished writing up his report and then looked up at Axel. "If you don't mind me asking… why would you turn yourself in for all of this? You could've gotten off easily if you hadn't brought up your past…"

"I needed to get it off my concious, Officer… I want to turn my life around, and if I have to do some jail time before I can do that… I'm okay with it."

"I respect that, Axel. I do. But I'm going to have to take you into custody until we can validate your story, okay? And I need the names of Seifer's gang members and the friend you tried to rob as well," he told him, holding up his pen again.

Axel searched his memories for their names. "I think their names were… Rai Ino, Fuu Marise and Vivi Taji. And his friend's name was Sora Mitsu. He's married to Kairi now."

"Yeah, I remember him… met them both at the Christmas party last year, I think. Look, I don't wanna have to cuff you, man… can I trust you to walk to the holding cell without pulling any shit?"

"Of course, Officer…" he paused as he realized that he didn't know his name.

"Cloud. Cloud Strife," he offered, patting Axel's shoulder in comfort. "Come on, lets get you booked."

* * *

"Just remember… you can't let on that you're wired. All you have to do is lure them out and make sure they tell you what they're there for," Officer Strife told Axel one last time, making sure his wire wasn't visible at all underneath his clothing. "We've got your back, and we'll remain hidden until we need to step in. If you're really feeling panicked, just remember: if you do this, your sentencing is going to go a lot more smoothly."

Axel nodded, "I got it, Cloud… er, Officer. You told me that four times yesterday and twelve times the day before. I'll be fine."

"I just… I gotta make sure you're okay… Riku threatened to kick my ass if you got killed," he said, making Axel look up at him.

"What do you mean? You told me he didn't want to see me…" Axel had almost befriended the policeman over their few days together, setting up the whole sting. Cloud treated him like a human being, not just like the scum under his boots.

Cloud sighed heavily, resting his arms on the bars of the holding cell. "He's been asking about you non-stop, Axel… I'm the one that's been keeping him away. We need you focused tonight. Just… he'll be there for you."

"Did he tell you we were engaged?" Axel wondered, sitting on his bed. "And I ruined it all… everything that happened between us was my fault…"

"I've heard the story twenty times since I told him that you turned yourself in. You know, he wasn't completely innocent in everything either… he told me about his affair, the one that drove you to the heavier drugs."

He looked down at the ground, remembering the night he'd found out about Leon. "I had been working towards getting sober… I was barely using at that point, and I thought he was being supportive of me. I suppose I drove him into Leon's arms… When I was going through the withdrawal I never wanted to go out and do anything… and I didn't want to do anything at home either, if you know what I mean."

"He gave up on you… and I'll have you know, Leon is now out of the picture. Happily taken," Cloud said proudly, flashing a simple silver wedding band on his ring finger.

"Aww, damn… really? Good for you," Axel congratulated him, smiling. He had to admit, he was a little relieved that Riku wasn't still with that guy. And he was asking about him… _No… I need to give up on that. We were over a long time ago._

Officer Strife grinned, "Thanks, man… almost two years now! This town is just too damned small… I can't believe we've got so many friends and aquaintences in common."

"And yet some tend to slip through the cracks…" he said softly, remembering that Riku hadn't mentioned him at all before his sudden appearance on the police radar mere days before.

"He was scared for you, Axe… and scared of you, as well. After what happened with Sora and Kairi he just didn't know what to do. He thought shutting you out was best, but it turned out… well… I shouldn't say anymore," he trailed off, "It's almost time. We should get to the park."

Axel glanced up at the clock. "It's seven in the evening… we have five hours, Cloud. Look, can you… do you think you could convince Riku to come talk to me?"

"I can try… he's in the next room, I think. We've been piecing together all of our previous evidence against Seifer, seeing what fits with your story. I'll send him in," he said, getting out of his chair and leaving.

Moments later, the door creaked open and a familiar white-haired man walked in, dressed in full uniform. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days, and the scruff on his face was growing in black like usual.

"You let your hair grow out… I like it better that way," Axel commented, first to break the silence.

"You… uh… you let yours grow too," he replied nervously, motioning to the flame red ponytail Axel was currently sporting.

He only shrugged. "Couldn't afford a haircut. …Or scissors."

"Still living on the streets, then?" Riku asked, sitting down in the chair Cloud had been in, pulled up to the cell bars.

"This is the first time I've slept inside in two years…" Axel admitted, gesturing to the hard, uncomfortable bed. But to him… it was the best he'd slept in years.

Riku cringed a little, trying to avoid looking at him all together. "I…I'm sorry about that…" he said softly, "I was wrong to just throw you out…"

"I understand why you did it, Riku… lets not pretend that we didn't have problems."

"You're right, Axe… we did have problems. But you were trying to get better, and I left you when you needed me the most," he choked out, starting to get upset. "I've regretted that night with Leon since it happened, and… I know that was what pushed you back into the heavy drug use… none of it would've happened if it weren't for me. Kairi, Sora… it was my fault."

Axel stood up and wrapped his fingers around the bars separating them, trying to get Leon to look at him. "Riku, stop… don't blame yourself for any of that… Those were my actions, my fault. But… you said you were having an affair with Leon, you told me it happened more than once…"

"I… I lied, Axel. I was trying to hurt you… I thought it would get a rise out of you, that you'd pay attention to me again. I didn't understand how the drugs worked, Axe… I had no idea what was happening to your body at the time, how hard it would've been for you to quit. If I had known what it would've pushed you to… I never would've said any of it," Riku sobbed, looking up into Axel's jade green eyes. "I have so many regrets, Axel…"

"Shh, Riku… calm down… Look, just… well, just look around you. Your life turned out so amazing without me dragging you down. You became a policeman like you always wanted, and you have friends and a partner who's a really great guy. You would never have been able to do that while babysitting a drug addict…" Axel gazed down into Riku's incredible teal eyes, wishing he could stop the tears that were staining his cheeks.

Riku only shook his head, "You're wrong, Axe… I've been miserable. Throwing you out was the worst thing I've ever done. I miss you…"

His heart was rising up into his throat, and Axel had no idea what to say to that. He grabbed for Riku through the bars of the cell, trying to hug him as best he could. "I'm sober now, Riku… I did it. I kicked it… for good this time. It's been a year… But… I'm going to prison after tonight… I confessed to everything…"

"I know, baby, I know…" Riku whispered, clutching at him through the bars. "I can try to get you off easy, but there's only so much influence we have after we make the arrest… you'll have to go up in front of a judge. I'm going to give you a really good character reference, Axel… I'll tell them you've been sober for a long time, and that you're done with crime. You could be out in a month, at the least."

"Don't do anything that can get you in trouble, Riku… I have to deal with the consequences of what I've done," Axel told him, trying to get a better hold on him. "Riku… can't you open the door just for a few minutes…?"

The officer looked over at the closed door to the holding cell area and sighed. "Yeah, hang on a second…" he said, grabbing his keys and unlocking Axel's cell.

Axel immediately flew into Riku's arms, almost knocking him over with the force behind his hug. "God I missed you…" he mumbled into Riku's shoulder, never wanting to let go.

"I missed you too, Axe…" Riku said, struggling to breathe through the hug. "I don't want you to go tonight… they could easily pull a gun on you before we could step in… I've seen it happen, Axel…"

He broke the hug, pulling back a little to look Riku in the eyes again. "I have to do this… it's the entire reason I turned myself in."

"I wish you hadn't done that, Axel…" he said, sighing softly. "But I guess I never would've seen you again if you didn't."

"I don't know if that was such a good thing either, Riku… I mean, what happens now? I'm going to jail and you're going to have to go on with your life."

He can tell Riku is mulling it over in his mind, trying to figure out what to do. "I want to be with you again, Axel… I love you. I don't think I ever stopped loving you. I've been a total wreck since you left…"

"Why didn't you try to find me sooner?" Axel wondered, "I've been in town…"

"What would I have said? Believe me, I thought about it a billion times, but… I just couldn't figure out how to explain everything… I had no clue if you were still on drugs, or even if you were still alive."

Axel took Riku into his arms again, "I understand, Riku… I…I've stood outside your door thousands of times… but I never got the courage to knock. I didn't know what to say either. I didn't think you'd believe that I've changed."

"I want to start over, Axe… After you're let out of jail, I want you to move back in… I'll help you get a job, and we can be together like we should've been all this time. I'm never going to give up on you again, Axel… I promise."

This startled the redhead a little, and he leaned back against the cell door. "Are you sure, Riku?"

"I've never been more sure about anything, Axe. But I won't try to force you back into this… I want you to be sure too."

Axel just smirked and grabbed Riku's arms, pulling him up to his feet and into his arms. He was still just a couple of inches taller than the policeman, and the familiar spicy scent of his shampoo hadn't changed in years. Axel looked into those bright teal eyes, his own filling with tears. "Of course I'm sure, silly," he said, smiling as he leaned in and pressed his lips against the other man's softly.

Riku moaned softly into the kiss, wrapping his arms around the taller man and holding him closely. "Good Lord, I missed that…" he mused as he pulled back. But he was immediately yanked back into a much deeper kiss. Axel turned them and pressed Riku into the bars of the jail cell, working his tongue past his lips and making the police officer melt beneath him.

"Axel, Riku, I have dinner… can I come in?" Cloud's voice sounded through the door. They heard the knob jiggle and Riku's eyes widened.

"Get in your cell, quick!" he exclaimed under his breath, trying to straighten his uniform out. He locked Axel back in and opened the door for Cloud. "Hey, man. Sorry about that. I didn't realize I locked the door."

"It's fine… so, what's going on? Did you two talk, or have you been staring at each other in silence this whole time?" Officer Strife asked, stepping into the room with a big bag of Chinese food.

Riku rolled his eyes, pawing through the bag for his usual meal. "We've been talking, you nosy asshole," he said in a mocking voice, sticking his tongue out at his older partner.

"Good! So…? Tell me what happened!"

"Cloud, he's _right there_," Riku scolded him, giving Axel a look of apology.

Axel just chuckled and accepted his dinner, still a little hazy from the intense kiss they'd shared. "We're getting back together."

The blond police officer squealed like a little girl, making Axel jump in concern. "Oh how cute! I knew you two would work things out! …Sucks you have to serve jail time though…"

"Would you be willing to give him a good character reference, Cloud? He'll need all the help he can get… he's facing some serious charges."

"Definitely, man. I'll try to help out however I can," he assured them. "I'm in pretty good with the police chief."

Axel looked up at them, a little confused about their dynamic. They weren't like any police officers he'd dealt with before… they were kind and understanding, not power crazy and emotionally constipated. "Th…thank you, guys… I really appreciate everything you're trying to do for me. When I turned myself in, I thought for sure I was just going to rot in jail for the rest of my life… now I have something to look forward to, and hopefully a shorter sentence to serve. I can't thank either of you enough."

"Well of course, Axel… any friend of Riku's is a friend of mine," Cloud said, grinning as he shoveled another forkful of pork lo mein into his mouth.

Suddenly Riku stood up and pulled a necklace of some kind out of his shirt and off his neck. He turned his back to the two men and when he was done fiddling with something, he walked up to Axel, holding his hand out. "I want you to have this, Axel… I never should've taken it back from you."

Axel took the engagement ring out of Riku's hand and smiled, sliding it onto his finger. Riku took his own off the necklace and put it back where it belonged. Cloud giggled like a child again and they both rolled their eyes at him before lacing fingers through the bars.

"We'll be okay, Riku… I'll make it through this, and we can start our life together from scratch," Axel assured him, grinning.

"I love you, Axel…"

"I love you too… forever and always. Got it memorized?"

* * *

"So, you actually showed up, eh?"

Axel jumped a little, sitting up on the bench they'd met at last time. "Oh… yeah, almost forgot it was Friday…"

"You have our money, asshole?" Seifer growled, the four of them quickly surrounding him.

"Uh… yeah, can you remind me what exactly I owe you for? I'm kind of hung over…" he lied, trying to sound trashed.

Seifer sneered at him, rolling his eyes. "For the ass load of crystal meth you bought from us last year and never paid for?"

"Oh yeah… hey, where were you cooking that shit anyways? It was some pretty pure stuff…"

"Why the fuck do you care, you pathetic loser?" Fuu asked him, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Wait a second… Rai, check him!"

Before Axel knew what was going on, Rai was tearing at his shirt. "He's bugged!"

And just like that, Seifer had a gun trained on him. "You set us up? Seriously? How the fuck could you be that stupid?!"

_Any time would be nice, Cloud… _Axel thought, backing up into the bench.

"Drop your gun and step away from him!" a deep voice cut through the night. _Riku… no, why the fuck is he here?! He wasn't supposed to be here!_

But Seifer didn't drop his weapon. "I'll kill your little snitch and then I'll burn the god damned police station to the ground!" he shouted at Riku, "Don't come any closer!"

Rai grabbed Axel, holding a knife to his side so Riku could train his gun on the officer. Vivi and Fuu pulled out their own guns and searched for any other officers in the area. A shot was fired and Vivi fell to the ground, and all chaos broke loose.

Axel had no idea who had been shot at that point, but when Rai suddenly slid into the dirt he took the chance to look around. Cloud had Seifer wrestled to the ground and the other three were writhing in pain. Axel kicked Rai's knife away from him before he noticed another body laying on the ground in the distance.

"Riku…" he muttered under his breath, running across the park. "Fuck, Riku!"

"Axel… you're okay… thank God…" he whispered, smiling softly as blood began to trickle out of the corner of his mouth.

"You… you were shot…" Axel couldn't believe how much blood was pouring from his lover's stomach. "You're bleeding out, Riku… God dammit, why did you come here?!"

Riku coughed, struggling to breathe. There was a commotion going on behind him, and he could hear an ambulance in the distance. "I didn't… I didn't want you to get hurt… I had to make sure… you were safe…"

"You idiot… you didn't have to do that… now you've gone and gotten yourself shot…"

"I love you Axel…" he choked out, groaning softly.

Axel gripped his hand tightly, "I love you too, baby… you'll make it through this and we'll get married and live together and… and we'll start a family…"

"Yeah?"

"Of course, Riku… we'll spend the rest of our lives together…"

"I… I'd like that…" His eyes closed slowly and his breathing slowed down drastically.

Axel panicked, "No… no, no, no… Riku, open your eyes… keep talking to me, baby… the ambulance is almost here… God damn it..."

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you guys will enjoy this story... It's an idea I've been brewing up for quite some time. I know that this first chapter is a little... intense, but the mood will lighten when we come back to the present. Keep in mind, this entire chapter is a flashback to before Axel was taken to Kaishi.**

**If you have any suggestions, feel free to review and share them! I love hearing what you guys think. :) **

**Thank you for reading, more is to come! **


End file.
